ADB advises merchant adoption, digital payments

Calling for regional cooperation to mobilise climate finance and ease political tension and restrictions to foreign direct investment, the Asian Development Bank has advised Pakistan to go for full merchant adoption and digital payment systems. In its ‘Asian Economic Integration Report 2025’ released on Monday, the Manila-based lending agency noted that the Asian region had a greater potential for regional cooperation than the EU and the United Kingdom but had been held back by regional tensions and a lack of cooperation. It said the Asian regional cooperation was critical to mobilise climate finance, particularly from the private sector. The Asian region required around $1.1 trillion annual to address climate change but only $300bn was currently available. “Regional cooperation is essential to monitor and mitigate macro-financial risks from climate change. The regional financial safety net requires an upgrading of its policy frameworks to manage climate-related crises,” it said.